Method for authenticating a user of an electronic device

ABSTRACT

An electronic device includes a display area, at least one signal source, and at least one biometric sensor. Authenticating a user of the electronic device includes presenting a data collecting region at the display area, transmitting a first signal to the user by the at least one signal source, receiving a second signal induced by the user according to the first signal via the data collecting region by the at least one biometric sensor, acquiring biometric data of the user according to the second signal, comparing the biometric data with reference data, invoking a function when the biometric data matches with the reference data, and hiding the data collecting region from the display area.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This non-provisional application claims priority of U.S. provisionalapplication No. 62/539,579, filed on Aug. 1, 2017, included herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure is related to an authentication method, and moreparticularly, a method for authenticating a user of an electronicdevice.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Since mobile devices become more and more powerful, mobile devices havebecome an important part in our daily lives not only in terms ofentertainment, but also in terms of daily necessity. For example, themobile payment is one of the rapid growing applications on the mobiledevices. With the mobile payment, users can make purchases with theirmobile devices instead of cash.

However, as a mobile device becomes more and more dipped into variousaspects of our life, the information security of the mobile devicearouses to higher attention. For example, if the mobile device is takenaway by a third person, the third person may be able to make purchasesthrough the mobile device without the consent of the owner. In relatedart, a set of letters, numbers and symbols may be used as anauthorization code to authenticate such kind of functions. However, thesafety of the authorization code is doubtable since it may be copied orbroken by the third person. To increase the safety, the authorizationcode must be complicate enough. However, it also brings burden to theuser since the long and complicate authorization code can be difficultto memorize for most of the people.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One embodiment of the present disclosure discloses a method forauthenticating a user of an electronic device. The electronic deviceincludes a display area, at least one signal source, and at least onebiometric sensor. The method includes presenting a data collectingregion at the display area, transmitting a first signal to the user bythe at least one signal source, receiving a second signal induced by theuser according to the first signal via the data collecting region by theat least one biometric sensor, acquiring biometric data of the useraccording to the second signal, comparing the biometric data withreference data, invoking a function when the biometric data matches withthe reference data, and hiding the data collecting region from thedisplay area.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure discloses a method forauthenticating a user of an electronic device. The electronic deviceincludes at least one signal source and at least one biometric sensor.The method includes transmitting a first signal to the user by the atleast one signal source, receiving a second signal by the at least onebiometric sensor wherein the second signal is induced by the useraccording to the first signal, acquiring biometric data of the useraccording to the second signal, comparing the biometric data with areference data, and invoking a function when the biometric data matcheswith the reference data.

These and other objectives of the present disclosure will no doubtbecome obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading thefollowing detailed description of the embodiment that is illustrated inthe various figures and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an electronic device according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a scenario of using the electronic device in FIG. 1according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows the flow chart of the method for authenticating a user ofthe electronic device in FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows the flow chart of the method for authenticating a user ofthe electronic device in FIG. 1 according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of an electronic device according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows the flow chart of the method for authenticating a user ofthe electronic device in FIG. 5 according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows a scenario of using the electronic device in FIG. 5according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an electronic device 100 according toone embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device 100includes a display panel 110, a signal source 120, and a biometricsensor 130, a processor 140, and a memory 150. In some embodiments, theelectronic device 100 can be a mobile device such as a smart phone,tablet or notebook.

The display panel 110 can be, for example but not limited to, aliquid-crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), aquantum dot (QD) display, a mini-LED display, or a micro-LED (lightemitting diode) display. FIG. 2 shows a scenario of using the electronicdevice 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. InFIG. 2, the display panel 110 can display the desired content throughthe display area 112.

The signal source 120 can be disposed under the display area 112 so thesignal transmitted by the signal source 120 can reach to the userthrough the display area 112. Or, the signal source 120 can be disposedin other positions rather than under the display area 112 and transmitsa signal to the user. Also, the biometric sensor 130 can be disposedadjacent to the signal source 120 so the biometric sensor 130 canreceive the signal induced by the user to acquire the biometric data ofthe user. It should be noted that “display area 112” indicates an areaof the electronic device 100 used to display content and “datacollecting region 112A” indicates a region of the electronic device 100used to collect biometric data in a top view shown in FIG. 2. Becausethe biometric sensor 130 can be disposed on any layer in the electronicdevice 100, the present disclosure does not limit the area or region tobe located on any specific layer of the electronic device 100.Therefore, “receiving a signal via the data collecting region” refers tothe signal passing through the data collecting region 112A, and the datacollecting region 112A can be located on any layer in the electronicdevice 100 according to different embodiments. For example, if thebiometric sensor 130 is embedded in the display panel, “the display area112” and the “data collecting region 112A” can be located at a coverglass between the display panel 100 and the user's finger. It should benoted that “transmit a signal to a user” refers to transmitting a signalto any suitable part of the user which carries retrievable biometricdata of the user.

In some embodiments, the signal source 120 and the biometric sensor 130can be embedded in the display panel 110. That is, the biometric datacan be retrieved through the display area 112 so the display area 112 ofthe electronic device 100 can have a greater size without being limitedby the additional space for collecting the biometric data.

In some embodiments, the signal source 120 and the biometric sensor 130may locate at the full area under the display area 112, so the user mayuse the full display area 112 as the data collecting region forauthentication. However, in some embodiments, the signal source 120 andthe biometric sensor 130 may locate at parts of the area under thedisplay area 112. That is, the data collecting region may be limited tothe area in which the signal source 120 and the biometric sensor 130 arelocated.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 may transmit a pluralityof first signals at a time, and analyze a plurality of second signalssimultaneously to acquire the feature of the fingerprint.

In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the signal source120 and the biometric sensor 130 can be combined as a capacitancedetection system similar to the touch panel. That is, by sensing thevariation of the capacitance caused by the touch of the finger, thefeatures of the fingerprint can be detected accordingly. In this case,the first signal SIG_(A) and the second signal SIG_(B) can be electronicsignals. More specifically, the signal source 120 may include at leastone transmitter and the biometric sensor 130 may include at least onereceiver in the capacitance detection system. The first signal and thesecond signal refer to the electric field in a space. And the biometricdata can be acquired by the at least one receiver sensing the variationof the capacitance caused by the touch of the finger.

Since the biometric data can be retrieved and be used forauthentication, the information safety of the electronic device can beenhanced and the process of the authentication can be simplified.

The present disclosure is not limited to use the fingerprint as thebiometric data. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, at leastone of the fingerprint, the voiceprint, the facial recognition, the palmprint, and the iris can be used as the biometric data forauthentication. That is, in some embodiments, the electronic device 100may use more than one type of biometric data for authentication.

FIG. 3 shows the flow chart of the method 200 for authenticating a userof the electronic device 100 according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The method 200 includes steps S210 to S290 but is notlimited to the order shown in FIG. 3.

S210: present the data collecting region 112A at the display area 112;

S220: transmit the first signal SIG_(A) to the user by the signal source120;

S230: receive the second signal SIG_(B) induced by the user according tothe first signal SIG_(A) via the data collecting region 112A by thebiometric sensor 130;

S240: acquire biometric data of the user according to the second signalSIG_(B);

S242: display the notification image at the display area 112 duringacquiring the biometric data of the user according to the second signalSIG_(B);

S250: compare the biometric data with reference data;

S260: if the biometric data matches with the reference data, go to stepS270, else go to step S280;

S270: invoke the function, go to step S290;

S280: display an alternative access indication at the display area 112;

S282: lock the electronic device 100;

S284: invoke the warning function;

S290: hide the data collecting region 112A from the display area 112.

In step S210, the electronic device 100 can present the data collectingregion 112A as shown in FIG. 2 by, for example but not limited to,displaying an eye-catching marks in the data collecting region 112A.Therefore, when collecting the fingerprint, the user can place her/hisfinger above the data collecting region 112A for detection accordingly.In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 may further mark the datacollecting region 112A with motion pictures or recognizable symbols suchas numbers, words, icons, drawing or pictures for enhancing thepresenting effect.

In some embodiments, the data collecting region 112A may be presented atthe display area 112 when the electronic device 100 is triggered. Forexample, the electronic device 100 may be triggered when the user pushesthe awakening button or the home button, when the user touches thescreen, when the user raises the electronic device 100, or when the userstarts a function with private data involved.

Furthermore, in FIG. 2, although the data collecting region 112A islocated at the lower part of the display area 112, however, the datacollecting region 112A may be placed at different locations according tothe system design in other embodiments of the present disclosure.

Also, in some embodiments, step S210 may be skipped according to thesystem requirement. For example, in some embodiments, since the wholedisplay area 112 may all be used as the data collecting region 112A, itwould be unnecessary to present the data collecting region 112A.

In step S220, the signal source 120 can transmit the first signalSIG_(A) to the user, and the biometric sensor 130 can receive the secondsignal SIG_(B) induced by the user according to the first signal SIG_(A)via the data collecting region 112A in step S230. In another embodiment,the biometric sensor 130 can receive the second signal SIG_(B) inducedby the user according to the first signal SIG_(A).

Generally, according to the texture of the fingerprint, the signalsreceived by the biometric sensor 130 would have a correspondingintensity distribution over spaces. Therefore, by analyzing the signalsreceived by the biometric sensor 130, the biometric data of the user canbe acquired in step S240. In some embodiments, according to the systemrequirement, the first signal SIG_(A) can be an infrared signal, anultrasound signal or an electronic signal, and the second signal SIG_(B)can be the infrared signal reflected by the user's finger, theultrasound signal reflected by the user's finger, or the electronicsignal induced by the user's finger.

In step S242, the electronic device 100 may further display thenotification image 112B at the display area 112 during acquiring thebiometric data of the user. The notification image 112B can inform theuser that the detection process has started, and may even show theprogress of the detection. In FIG. 2, the notification image 110B isdisplayed in the display area 112 without overlapping the datacollecting region 112A. However, in some embodiments, the notificationimage 110B may be displayed anywhere in the display area 112 accordingto the system requirement. Furthermore, the notification image 112B caninclude recognizable symbol such as numbers, words, icons, drawings orpictures. However, in some embodiments, step S242 may be skippedaccording to the system requirement.

After acquiring the biometric data, the electronic device 100 cancompare the biometric data with reference data in step S250. Thereference data is the biometric data of the user stored previously,representing the identification of the user. In some embodiments, thereference data can be stored in the electronic device 100, for examplestored in the memory 150. However, in some other embodiments, thereference data can be stored in a cloud server, and the electronicdevice 100 may retrieve the reference data through internet, reducingthe memory requirement of the electronic device 100. It should be notedthat “internet” refers to any wireless network which includes WIFI,Bluetooth, NFC, etc.

In step S260, if the biometric data matches with the reference data,meaning the user has the same biometric data as the stored referencedata, then the electronic device 100 would perform step S270 to invokethe function. The function may, for example but not limited to, includeat least one of authorizing a transaction, activating a personalizedapplication, and unlocking the electronic device 100.

However, if the biometric data mismatches with the reference data, thenthe electronic device 100 would perform steps S280 to S284. In stepS280, the electronic device 100 can display an alternative accessindication at the display area 112. The alternative access indicationmay ask for the user's authentication code or a graphic code as analternative way to access the electronic device 100, allowing the userto access the electronic device 100 in an alternative way.

In addition, when the biometric data mismatches with the reference dataor the alternative access is failed, it usually implies that the personusing the electronic device 100 may not be the owner of the electronicdevice 100. Therefore, the electronic device 100 may be locked, and mayinvoke the warning function in steps S282 and S284.

The warning function may help to inform the owner or to record theappearance or the voice of the person trying to access the electronicdevice 100 as an evidence of burglary for future legal purpose. In someembodiments, the warning function may include at least one of sending awarning text message, taking a photo, recording in background, sending alocation of the user. In addition, in some embodiments, steps S282 andS284 may not be performed or may be performed after several times offailure of the authentication process, avoiding arousing unnecessaryattentions.

In step S290, the electronic device 100 can hide the data collectingregion 112A from the display area 112 when the authentication processhas completed so the display area 112 can be fully used for presentingthe desired content. However, in another embodiment, step S290 may beskipped according to the system requirement.

With method 200, the authentication process of the electronic device 100can be achieved in an efficient way without bringing burden to the user.Also, by presenting the data collecting region 112A, the user can easilyfind the correct place to proceed with authentication so the biometricsensor 130 can be disposed under the display area 112, allowing greatersize of the display area 112.

In some embodiments, since some of the biometric data can be copied andreproduced, the authentication process may further check the vital signof the user, ensuring the biometric data is provided by the usersthemselves. FIG. 4 shows a method 300 for authenticating a user of theelectronic device 100 according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The method 300 includes steps S310 to S390 but is notlimited to the order shown in FIG. 4.

S310: present the data collecting region 112A at the display area 112;

S320: transmit the first signal SIG_(A) to the user by the signal source120;

S330: receive the second signal SIG_(B) induced by the user according tothe first signal SIG_(A) via the data collecting region 112A by thebiometric sensor 130;

S340: acquire biometric data of the user according to the second signalSIG_(B);

S342: acquire vital data according to the second signal SIG_(B);

S344: display the notification image at the display area 112 duringacquiring the biometric data of the user according to the second signalSIG_(B);

S350: compare the biometric data with reference data;

S352: evaluate a vital condition of the user according to the vitaldata;

S360: if the biometric data matches with the reference data and thevital condition shows that the user is alive, go to step S370, else goto step S380;

S370: invoke the function, go to step S390;

S380: display an alternative access indication at the display area 112;

S382: lock the electronic device 100;

S384: invoke the warning function;

S390: hide the data collecting region 112A from the display area 112.

The methods 200 and 300 have similar principles; however, the method 300further includes steps S342 and S352 for acquiring the vital data andevaluating the vital sign of the user.

The vital sign of the user can be detected to show that the user isalive or not. For example, the pulse of the user can be used as a vitalsign to check the vital condition of the user. Since the blood canabsorb the infrared signal, by sensing the variation of the intensity ofthe reflected infrared signal, the variation of the quantity of bloodcan be detected, and so as the pulse of the user can be detected. Inthis case, the first signal SIG_(A) can be an infrared signal, and thesecond signal SIG_(B) is a reflected infrared signal of the first signalSIG_(A). That is, the infrared signal used to detect the texture of thefingerprint can also be used to detect the pulse of the user. Therefore,in step S342, the electronic device 100 can acquire the vital dataaccording to the second signal SIG_(B).

Later, in step S352, the electronic device 100 can evaluate the vitalcondition of the user according to the vital data acquired in step S342.In some embodiments, step S340 can be performed before or after stepS342, or steps S340 and S342 can be performed in parallel. Similarly,step S350 can be performed before or after step S352, or steps S350 andS352 can be performed in parallel.

After the vital condition has been evaluated and the biometric data hasbeen compared with the reference data, the electronic device 100 wouldauthenticate the user if the biometric data matches with the referencedata and the vital condition shows that the user is alive in step S360,and the electronic device 100 would invoke the corresponding function instep S370.

Otherwise, if the biometric data mismatches with the reference data orthe vital condition shows that the user is not alive in step S360, thenthe electronic device 100 would perform steps S380 to S384 to show thealternative access procedure, lock the electronic device 100, and invokethe warning function.

In method 300, the electronic device 100 can use the signal source 120and the biometric sensor 130 to detect the biometric data and the vitaldata, however, in some other embodiments, the biometric data and thevital data can be acquired with different signal sources and differentsensor.

FIG. 5 shows an electronic device 400 according to another embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The electronic devices 100 and 400 have similarstructures. However, the electronic device 400 further includes a vitalsign detecting source 460 and a vital sign detecting sensor 470. FIG. 6shows a flow chart of a method 500 for authenticating a user of theelectronic device 400 according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 7 shows a scenario of using the electronic device 400according to the method 500. The method 500 includes steps S510 to S590but is not limited to the order shown in FIG. 6.

S510: present the data collecting region 112A at the display area 112;

S520: transmit the first signal SIG_(A) to the user by the signal source120;

S522: receive the second signal SIG_(B) induced by the user according tothe first signal SIG_(A) via the data collecting region 112A by thebiometric sensor 130;

S524: acquire the biometric data of the user according to the secondsignal SIG_(B);

S530: display the notification image at the display area 112 duringacquiring the biometric data of the user according to the second signalSIG_(B);

S540: transmit the third signal SIG_(C) to the user by the vital signdetecting source 460;

S542: receive the fourth signal SIG_(D) via the data collecting region112A by the vital sign detecting sensor 470;

S544: acquire the vital data according to the fourth signal SIG_(D);

S550: compare the biometric data with reference data;

S552: evaluate a vital condition of the user according to the vitaldata;

S560: if the biometric data matches with the reference data and thevital condition shows that the user is alive, go to step S570, else goto step S580;

S570: invoke the function, go to step S590;

S580: display an alternative access indication at the display area 112;

S582: lock the electronic device 400;

S584: invoke the warning function;

S590: hide the data collecting region 112A from the display area 112.

In method 500, the signal source 120 transmits the first signal SIG_(A)to the user in step S520 and the biometric sensor 130 transmits thesecond signal SIG_(B) induced by the user according to the first signalSIG_(A) via the data collecting region 112A in step S522. By analyzingthe second signal SIG_(B), the biometric data of the user can beacquired in step S524 according to the second signal SIG_(B).

Also, the vital sign detecting source 460 can transmit the third signalSIG_(C) in step S540, and the vital sign detecting sensor 470 canreceive the fourth signal SIG_(D) via the data collecting region 112A instep S542. By analyzing the fourth signal SIG_(D), the vital data can beacquired in step S544.

Namely, in method 500, the biometric data and the vital data can beacquired with different signal sources and different sensors. Forexample, the first signal SIG_(A) can be an ultrasonic signal or anelectronic signal for detecting the texture of the finger print or thepalm print while the third signal SIG_(C) can be an infrared signal fordetecting the pulse of the user. That is, according to the types of thebiometric data and the types of the vital data used by the electronicdevice 400, the electronic device 400 may include the correspondingsignal sources and detection sensors to acquire the required data.

In addition, in FIG. 6, steps S520 to S524 can be performed in parallelwith steps S530 to S534. However, in some other embodiments, steps S520to S524 may be performed sequentially before or after steps S530 toS534. Also, steps S550 and steps S552 may be performed sequentially orin parallel according to the system requirement.

With method 500, the authentication process of the electronic device 400can be achieved in an efficient way without bringing burden to the user.Also, by presenting the data collecting region 112A, the user can easilyfind the correct place to proceed with the authentication.

The features described in the above embodiments can be mixed, combined,or replaced to accomplish another embodiment.

In summary, the methods for authenticating a user of an electronicdevice provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure allow theelectronic device to authenticate the user in an efficient way withoutbringing burden to the user. Optionally, by presenting the datacollecting area, the user can easily find the correct place to proceedwith the authentication while the sensors can be disposed under thedisplay area, increasing the size of the display area.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerousmodifications and alterations of the device and method may be made whileretaining the teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the abovedisclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and boundsof the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for authenticating a user of anelectronic device, the electronic device comprising a display area, atleast one signal source, and at least one biometric sensor, the methodcomprising: presenting a data collecting region at the display area;transmitting a first signal to the user by the at least one signalsource; receiving a second signal induced by the user according to thefirst signal via the data collecting region by the at least onebiometric sensor; acquiring biometric data of the user according to thesecond signal; comparing the biometric data with reference data;invoking a function when the biometric data matches with the referencedata; and hiding the data collecting region from the display area. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein: the data collecting region is presentedat the display area when the electronic device is triggered.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: displaying a notification imageat the display area during acquiring the biometric data of the useraccording to the second signal.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: displaying an alternative access indication at the displayarea when the biometric data mismatches with the reference data.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: acquiring vital data according tothe second signal; and evaluating a vital condition of the useraccording to the vital data; wherein the function is invoked when thebiometric data matches with the reference data and the vital conditionshows that the user is alive.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein thefirst signal is an infrared signal, and the second signal is a reflectedinfrared signal of the first signal.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinthe electronic device further comprises at least one vital signdetecting source and at least one vital sign detecting sensor, and themethod further comprises: transmitting a third signal to the user by theat least one vital sign detecting source; receiving a fourth signal viathe data collecting region by the at least one vital sign detectingsensor, wherein the fourth signal is induced by the user according tothe third signal; acquiring vital data according to the fourth signal;and evaluating a vital condition of the user according to the vitaldata; wherein the function is invoked when the biometric data matcheswith the reference data and the vital condition shows that the user isalive.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein: the first signal is anultrasonic signal, or an electronic signal, and the third signal is aninfrared signal.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: lockingthe electronic device when the biometric data mismatches with thereference data.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: invokinga warning function when the biometric data mismatches with the referencedata.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the warning function comprisesat least one of sending a warning text message, taking a photo,recording in background, and sending a location of the user.
 12. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the reference data is stored in theelectronic device.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference datais stored in a cloud server, and the reference data is retrieved by theelectronic device through internet.
 14. The method of claim 1, whereinthe function comprises at least one of authorizing a transaction,activating a personalized application, and unlocking the electronicdevice.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device furthercomprises a display panel configured to display content through thedisplay area, and the at least one signal source and the at least onebiometric sensor are embedded in the display panel.
 16. A method forauthenticating a user of an electronic device, the electronic devicecomprising at least one signal source and at least one biometric sensor,and the method comprising: transmitting a first signal to the user bythe at least one signal source; receiving a second signal by the atleast one biometric sensor wherein the second signal is induced by theuser according to the first signal; acquiring biometric data of the useraccording to the second signal; comparing the biometric data withreference data; and invoking a function when the biometric data matcheswith the reference data.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein theelectronic device further comprises a display area, and the methodfurther comprises presenting a data collecting region at the displayarea.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: hiding the datacollecting region from the display area.
 19. The method of claim 17,wherein the electronic device further comprises a display panelconfigured to display content through the display area, and the at leastone signal source and the at least one biometric sensor are embedded inthe display panel.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first signalis an infrared signal, an ultrasonic signal, or an electronic signal.